Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.
A/N: Another longer chapter again for you guys. The next couple chapters are just going to wrap a few things up before there will be a bit of a time jump again going forward. It's during that gap that my one-shot Simple Attraction takes place. Hope you all like the new chapter!
Following the Footsteps of Destiny
Chapter 285: The Missing Piece
Ryoko Ishida
Odaiba, Japan, Earth
Ryoko had never been a huge fan of traveling through the gates connecting the human world and the Digital World, but as he took a moment to appreciate all the colour surrounding him on both sides, he suddenly became aware of how beautiful the passageway was that connected the two words. Though his body was weary and he was lacking in strength, he felt more at peace with himself and the world around him than he had ever felt in his whole life, and he couldn't deny it was a feeling he wanted to hold onto for a little bit longer.
It also felt nice to let somebody else take care of him for a while, and as he rested his head on Tai's shoulder, he braced himself for the impact of exiting through the gate.
As Tai's feet hit the floor of the office in one of the upstairs rooms of the Motomiya residence, he winced as the jolt reverberated through his ribs, and unable to stop a soft gasp from escaping his lips, he quickly squeezed his eyes shut to mask the pain on his face. Luckily Tai didn't notice, which he was grateful for since it wasn't the former leader's fault, and immediately picking up on the silence in the room, he glanced around in confusion.
Ryoko had fully expected to be assaulted by Izzy and possibly Noriko upon returning home, but surprisingly neither was to be found. A shaft of late afternoon sunshine was streaming through the open window, and it illuminated a lone figure who was sitting quietly in a chair, her gaze focused on the trees in the back yard. As the figure turned to face them, Ryoko found himself momentarily speechless at the way the bright glow coming in from outside illuminated her elegant features, and the shafts of glowing sunlight streaming into the room created a tint of red in her dark brown hair.
Though she remained seated, as still and silent as an ancient statue that had somehow survived the passing of time in pristine condition, Ami Motomiya's smoldering dark eyes were focused intently on his face, and while her expression was calm and composed, Ryoko could tell that she had been suffering greatly at the hands of his foolish actions.
He wasn't sure how he knew exactly what she was thinking, but deep within his heart he suspected her behaviour had something to do with him, and the way she was looking at him now gave him no reason to believe otherwise. Those dark eyes hadn't once strayed from his face, and taking into account the way she had shown interest in him several times since he had become a Digidestined, which had given him the opportunity to spend more time in her presence, he wasn't so ignorant that he couldn't figure out why she was so upset with him. As unbelievable as it seemed, Ami Motomiya seemed to harbour some feelings for him that he had suspected quite some time ago he was starting to reciprocate.
And how exactly did that make him feel?
It was a combination of ecstatic and ridiculously nervous, and while it was also somewhat embarrassing, he couldn't deny how much he liked the idea of Ami returning his feelings. Having always been a bit more observant than some of his other male friends, he had discovered the fact that he seemed to have an interest in Ami that went beyond what he felt for all of the other girls he had met in his lifetime quite a while ago, thus he wasn't so blind that he had failed to understand what those feelings meant.
Indeed, it was quite obvious to him that he was slowly developing feelings for Ami that went beyond the boundaries of mere acquaintances or even friends, and if he was truly honest with himself, he couldn't say he was disappointed by his sudden interest in the dark-haired female, which had somehow sprung up deep inside his often complicated heart.
And yet, when it came to Ami, it hadn't really been complicated at all. In fact, it had come upon him with surprising ease, almost as if subconsciously he had known all along it was going to happen.
Even when we were very little, I always liked Ami. She used to defend me when she thought Dai had gone too far with his teasing, and she was always looking out for me and wishing that Dai and I would sort out our differences. I see that now, though it's taken me years to open my eyes. All this time she's been supporting me, but I didn't realize it until she became bold enough to tell me herself. Even if it isn't much, I wish there was something I could do to repay her...
At the moment, Ami's hands were clasped tightly together in her lap, and her normally vibrant and bold expression was pale and serous. At the same time, her dark eyes were sparkling intensely with emotion, and though the traces of her tears were faint, he could tell at one point during the day or possibly last evening she must have been crying.
As they stared at each other, Ami's dark gaze studied him closely, and not for the first time since becoming aware of the feelings growing in his heart, Ryoko couldn't help feeling completely blown away by how breathtakingly beautiful she was.
Ami was a brunette, like Takara, and yet the two girls couldn't have looked more different in comparison. Takara was a classic beauty while Ami had more of a darker, exotic look to her features, and Ryoko couldn't help allowing himself to be taken in by the Motomiya girl's mysterious smiles and playful demeanor. Ami was the most bold and brash out of all of the females he knew, and while some might think she was too aggressive and had a habit of coming on too strong, he was of the opinion that both her personality and her behaviour were very attractive.
She's always so confident and sure of herself. It makes me feel bad to think my behaviour in the Ice Caverns has taken away some of that tenacity from her...
Thinking about Ami now reminded him of how she had crossed his mind at one point during the course of his terrible ordeal in the Digital World, and remembering the intense thoughts that had been running through his head about her then, he felt himself start to blush.
Being much older and wiser than he was, Tai seemed to sense that something was going on between the two of them, and pausing, the former leader said discreetly close to his ear, "Are you able to stand on your own?"
Ryoko could tell that Tai had seen his blush, and giving a hasty nod, he mumbled, "For this I can."
If I don't die of embarrassment before I have a chance to talk to her.
Ryoko caught Tai trying to hide a smile, and as the former leader carefully set him on his feet, he staggered slightly, unsure of his balance. Before he could fall, though, he felt a hand catch his arm to steady him, and turning in surprise, he realized the hand belonged to Daichi.
"Careful," the goggle-headed leader said, glancing at him with a look of obvious concern.
Ryoko frowned, and shaking his head in protest, he scolded gently, "You're barely able to stand more than I am."
"I'm okay for this," Dai replied, dismissing his concern with a distracted smile.
The reason for the goggle-headed leader's lack of attention became obvious when Ryoko caught the other boy gazing curiously at his sister, but Ami didn't seem to notice her brother's questioning look.
Rising from her chair, the dark-haired female looked straight at him and said quietly, "I knew the whole time what you must have been thinking. I know what you're like, and I've seen it all before when it comes to you and my brother. And I'm not so stupid that I couldn't figure out what was going on with you and Matty either. Do you know how much it hurt me to know how wrong you were about yourself? I was afraid. I thought we were going to lose you forever."
While Ami and Dai had very similar personalities, the dark-haired female was a lot more observant than her brother, thus it didn't surprise him that she had been able to pick up on a lot of what Dai had been missing for years. He knew now with certainty that Ami had known about his true feelings for Dai since they were very young, and though it embarrassed him to think she had been watching them all this time, he was also glad.
It made him feel warm inside to think perhaps Ami had paid more attention to him during the course of his life than he might have believed otherwise, and looking her right in the eyes, he said sincerely, "I'm sorry."
"I was so angry at you," Ami said quietly, her eyes sparkling suddenly with the tears she had been attempting to suppress thus far. "I couldn't understand why you had such little faith in yourself when I've known all this time that you're better than that."
Ami...
Ryoko knew he had to tread carefully, since his parents and Ami's family were all witnessing the event, and feeling embarrassed at all the pairs of eyes that were watching him closely, he checked first to make sure Iramon was safe in Mickey's arms before motioning for Dai to give him a hand.
There's a lot I want to say, but it's not exactly the thing you want to do when your parents are hanging around. And it's even worse when it's the girl's parents...
Ryoko couldn't help smiling at his own silly thoughts, and shaking his head, he turned to look at the goggle-headed leader, who was staring at his sister with his mouth hanging open. Dai's expression was so comical, Ryoko couldn't help laughing at his friend's expense, and glancing at all the other faces in the room that were staring at him, he started to feel a bit self-conscious.
Mickey, Sam, and Matty, along with all of the digimon, were staring with open curiosity, and though Takara still appeared somewhat subdued, there was a spark of interest in her hazel eyes that Ryoko immediately recognized. Joe and Kari had both tactfully made themselves busy on the computer, and much to his surprise, Davis looked more amused than angry or suspicious. The former leader was gazing at his daughter with raised eyebrows, and noticing the younger man's expression, Tai elbowed Davis in the ribs before smiling himself.
Ryoko could see his mother gazing at Ami with obvious affection and sympathy, and though his father's face didn't reveal much, the former musician seemed content to let Ami have a moment to put her fears to rest.
With Dai's help, Ryoko was able to make his way over to the distraught female, and carefully putting her arms around him, she whispered into his shoulder, "Don't ever do that to me again."
She smelled nice, like Japanese cherry blossoms, and he appreciated the fact that she was making an effort to watch out for his injuries. He also liked the way her dark hair felt so soft as it brushed against his cheek, and resigning himself to the fact that his face felt like it was on fire, he said quietly, "I'll try not to."
A soft laugh escaped Ami's lips, and speaking somewhat dryly, she said, "I suppose that's the best I can hope for. I hear you did save my brother's life, though, so for that I'll always be in your debt."
Ryoko hesitated before slowly putting his arms around her waist, and letting his head rest against her shoulder, he said quietly, "I don't think I would have been able to stand seeing you looking so sad every day if I hadn't."
"But more importantly, you wouldn't have been able to stand losing a friend," Ami whispered in his ear, pulling him even closer while still being mindful of his injuries. "Are things okay now? Are you two...okay?"
Ryoko nodded, and realizing suddenly that he couldn't stop smiling, he made sure to keep his face averted and said, "We're fine. Everything's good. You don't have to worry anymore."
Ami's face finally lit up, her dark eyes sparkling in the sunshine thanks to his sincere confession, and reaching up to touch his cheek, she whispered, "I'm glad. I knew you could do it. I knew one day you guys would find each other."
He's not the only one I've managed to find.
To his surprise, Ami didn't seem the least bit embarrassed that his parents or her father were watching the whole exchange, and growing silent they took a moment to simply hold each other close while a dumbstruck Daichi continued to stare at them with his mouth hanging open.
It was rather amusing that the goggle-headed leader was clearly having trouble comprehending what was going on, but knowing Dai would get there eventually, Ryoko wasn't too concerned about his friend's behaviour.
After a moment of bliss, Ami finally let go of him, and turning to her brother, she said with affection, "You lovable idiot. I don't know whether I should be angry at you for being so stupid or immensely grateful you're still alive."
Dai gaped at her like a fish, and momentarily forgetting about the intimate exchange he had witnessed, the goggle-headed leader gave himself a shake and said indignantly, "Hey, you're stupid too for worrying. When have I ever let you down before?"
Ami's whole face suddenly softened into a smile, and pulling her younger brother into a tight hug, she kissed his cheek and said gently, "Never."
"Well, there you go then," Dai grumbled, looking offended at being insulted. "When I say I'm going to do something, I do it. I always go through with my promises, thank you very much. You should be grateful I was able to knock some sense into him at the end there. If I hadn't, who knows what might have happened? Actually, forget about it. I don't even want to think about what might have happened otherwise."
"I am grateful," Ami replied, hugging him closer. "More than you'll probably ever know."
"Whatever," Dai mumbled, looking embarrassed. "Get off me."
Clearly the goggle-headed leader wasn't used to the idea of his sister being super nice to him, since normally she was getting on his case about something, but despite his words, he still hugged his older sibling back and playfully tugged on her dark hair. Apparently, Dai had missed the subtle hint in Ami's words, and as a result, Ryoko couldn't help smiling at the exchange.
Or did he?
Upon realizing that the goggle-headed leader was now studying him closely, Ryoko felt his cheeks begin to heat up again, and glancing back at Ami before turning to face him a second time, Dai's expression suddenly changed, as if the goggle-headed leader had been hit by a sudden revelation.
Ryoko could almost see the light bulb turning on in his friend's brain, which made him feel suddenly self-conscious, but before Dai could say anything, Noriko came storming into the room with the force of a whirlwind, her frantic eyes searching desperately for her wayward son.
"Dai!" the distraught woman shrieked, throwing herself upon the Motomiya siblings, causing both brother and sister to stagger into the window. "I thought I heard a lot of noise up here! Speak to me, honey! Are you alive?"
"Mom, get off!" Ami groaned, having been caught up in the hug that had nearly lifted Dai off his feet.
"I was until you nearly broke my ribs," Dai moaned, wincing at the force of the hug.
"Careful," Ami warned her mother. "He's still pretty beat up."
Noriko immediately let go of both her children, and inspecting her son carefully, she said wildly, "Anything broken? Where does it hurt?"
"I'm fine, Mom!" Dai shouted, shoving her hands away. "Really, it's just some bruises. I'll be good as new after some rest."
Noriko abandoned her attempts to scrutinize her son's injuries for a moment, and Ryoko jumped when the woman's eyes suddenly landed on him, as if she had only now just realized he was standing there.
Quickly he took a step back, unsure of whether or not his rib cage could withstand her well meaning (and rather dangerous) hugs, and smiling faintly at his reaction, she said quietly, "I...I can't even...There just aren't any words to express how grateful I am to you."
He watched as Noriko's dark eyes filled with tears, and deciding it was worth the risk after all, he gave the woman a reassuring hug and said calmly, "You don't need to say anything. I think I get the picture, and I'll do it again if I have to, if it ever comes to that."
Noriko gratefully accepted the hug, her whole body trembling with all the fear she had been trying and failing desperately to hold in the last couple days, and gently ruffling his hair, she whispered, "Thank you."
"Have you got it all out of your system now?" Davis asked hopefully, edging carefully towards his wife.
Noriko whirled on the former leader, giving Ryoko a moment of reprieve, and letting out an exasperated cry, the dark-haired female shouted, "Davis, why, oh why, can't you keep a better eye on our children and stop them from doing such outrageous things!"
Davis froze, and staring at his wife like she was a dangerous beast ready to strike, he said carefully, "You do know that's an impossible thing to do, right?"
Noriko glared at the former leader, and then throwing her arms around him in a tight hug, she proceeded to kiss him with enthusiasm.
"Yuck!" Dai shouted.
"Gross!" Ami shrieked.
Ignoring his kids and sounding out of breath, Davis managed to pull back long enough to say, "There's no hope for those two. Not with the genes they have."
"And need I remind you that those genes come from both sides of the family?" Tai butted in, raising his eyebrows at Noriko.
In response to the jibe, Noriko laughed, and pulling back to gaze fondly at her husband, she said softly, "I guess I deserved that."
Ryoko shook his head at the happy couple, and smiling slightly, he turned to the Motomiya siblings and said dryly, "They're totally dissing you guys."
"Who cares what they think!" Dai snorted, crossing his arms over his chest. "Besides, I'm more interested in you two."
"Huh?" Ami asked, looking confused.
So that was a spark of enlightenment I saw flashing in his head.
Though he felt kind of nervous, Ryoko didn't look away as Dai turned to gaze directly into his eyes, and studying him closely before turning to glance at Ami, the goggle-headed leader raised his eyebrows and said causally, "Speaking of mushy stuff, what's up with you two?"
"What? Nothing!" Ami immediately protested, her face turning a bright shade of pink.
Needless to say, her statement wasn't very convincing, and giving his sister a critical look, the goggle-headed leader shrugged his shoulders and said lightly, "Relax, would you? I'm cool with it, you know."
"W-what?" Ami replied, gazing stupidly at her brother.
"About the two of you," Dai elaborated, rolling his eyes. "I'm not that dumb, you know. I can tell what's going on here, though I have to admit, I'm not exactly sure how it all came about. I'm not one to sweat the details, though. It might take me a while to notice stuff like this, but I get there in the end eventually."
"Uh..."
"Just one thing, though," Dai continued, frowning at his sister.
Ami jumped at those words, and looking a bit nervous, she squeaked, "What?"
"Look, if you're really serious about him, then you'd better not scare him off or nothing like that," Dai lectured, giving his sister an accusing look. "I know what you're like, having been a victim of your wrath for years. I'm half convinced you're not entirely sane, and that could be a problem for us. You can be pretty intimidating when you want to be, and I don't want Ryoko having seconds thoughts about you. I've got big future plans for him and I being brothers now, since you seem pretty set on chasing after him. You know what I mean, right? Like making it official and all that stuff."
No...way...
Upon realizing what Dai was getting at, Ryoko instantly felt his face turn red, and having come to the same conclusion, Ami shrieked in horrified embarrassment, "Dai!"
"What?" Dai asked, genuinely baffled by her unenthusiastic response.
Ami grabbed the nearest hard object off her father's desk, which happened to be a huge, heavy paper weight, and realizing she intended to use it on him, the goggle-headed leader let out a startled yelp and proceeded to race out into the hallway, his injuries having been all but forgotten.
As Ami chased after her brother with a vengeance, Noriko casually yelled after her daughter, "Don't break the furniture with that thing!"
"Oh sure, but it's okay if she breaks my skull with it!" Dai's voice shouted back from somewhere in the hall as he made a break for the stairs.
Dai...
Ryoko felt rather flattered over the goggle-headed leader's comment about wanting them to be brothers, and trying not to smile like a total fool, he abruptly sank into a chair to stop himself from falling onto the floor, having exhausted his energy talking to Ami.
Immediately catching on to his fatigue, Joe was at his side in an instant, and lending a supporting arm, the doctor said, "Come on, let's get you downstairs so I can have a look at you."
"Where's Izzy?" Kari asked, looking curious. "I would have thought he'd be right here waiting for us to get home."
"Mina forced him to go downstairs and have something to eat," Noriko explained, rolling her eyes. "The others are all hanging out in the living room at the moment. We can talk in there. There's more room, and it'll be a lot more comfortable for everyone."
"Sounds good to me," Tai replied, motioning for everyone to follow him. "Let's head down."
With help from Joe, Ryoko was able to safely climb down the stairs, and as they entered the living room they were immediately assaulted by a lot of noise. There were questions flying in all directions, and for a moment all of the voices speaking at once made his head start to swim. Having heard the commotion, Izzy came racing into the room from the kitchen with Mina on his heels, and jumping up from her seat, Taniko quickly moved over to Matty's side, her dark eyes shining with apprehension.
Matty looked surprised at the way Taniko had singled him out, and giving the dark-haired female a reassuring smile, the younger twin murmured something to her, which made the girl's whole face soften into a smile. Ryoko didn't miss the way she gave his cousin's hand a quick squeeze before hurrying off to join her father by the door, and staring at his hand as if he could still feel Taniko's fingers against his skin, Matty blushed before quickly moving off to join his brother.
As the noise in the room continued to grow in volume, with all of its occupants trying to talk over one another, it was a relief when his father suddenly held up a hand for silence, the former musician's expression indicating that he expected to be obeyed.
As a general rule, nobody liked getting on the golden-haired Digidestined's bad side, and conscious of that little fact, the room immediately grew quiet, though there was still a spark of anticipation in the air.
Joe was quick to shoo everybody off the couch, and it was with a great sense of relief that Ryoko was finally able to stretch out on the sofa and rest while the doctor inspected him for any lasting damages.
The sight of his ribs as Joe carefully pulled up his shirt caused a collective gasp to echo throughout the room, and taking control of the situation, Izzy settled himself in the huge armchair with his daughter and said calmly, "While I have full confidence in Joe's abilities as a doctor, judging by the look of things you've all had quite the dangerous adventure. If you would be so kind as to tell the rest of us what happened, it would be much appreciated."
Ryoko let out a soft sigh, and glancing at Matty, the younger twin said quickly, "Don't worry about it. Dai and I have you covered. You just rest and let us tell the story."
It was a generous offer, and grateful to his cousin, Ryoko listened in silence as Matty and Dai did most of the talking. As he lay there on the sofa, he was careful to keep Iramon snuggled gently in the crook of his arm, and closing his eyes, he let the pleasant voices of his friend and cousin wash over his weary body. Once Joe had finished checking him over, his mother quickly handed him a warm blanket, and there was a pause in the conversation as Mina handed out cups of hot chocolate to everyone who had been in the Digital World to help warm them up again. Noriko handed out a few more cups to anyone else who wanted one, and once everyone was settled, there was a long pause as everybody attempted to absorb all the information they had received thus far.
Thanks to the interruption, Dai and Matty were given a brief break from their story, and as a result Joe was able to share his findings on what Ryoko assumed was a large tally of all the injuries he had received during his time in the Digital World. For some reason, the thought seemed to amuse him, and shaking his head, he watched as Joe turned to his parents, no doubt to give them the results of his checkup.
Naturally, his mother looked quite nervous, and giving the rosy-haired Digidestined a reassuring smile, the doctor said, "He'll probably have some heavy bruising for a while, but there's nothing broken. His throat is fine, as well, and his breathing is normal. Overall, I don't believe there were any lasting damages inflicted either internally or externally. What he mostly needs now is a few days of rest and he'll be as good as new."
"Well, that's certainly a relief," his mother sighed, giving the doctor a grateful smile. "Thank you, Joe. As always, we're in your debt. I don't know what we would do without you."
"Think nothing of it," Joe replied, waving off the praise. "I'm always happy to be of assistance. In this case, he was lucky to have been in the Digital World when he received all those injuries. If the same thing had happened in the human world, he might not have been as lucky. I'll have a look at Dai and Matty before I leave, as well, just to be safe."
"Do you have to?" Dai groaned, making a face. "I hate being poked and prodded."
"If you wouldn't get yourself into trouble on a regular basis, I wouldn't have to poke and prod you all the time," Joe replied, undaunted by the goggle-headed leader's lack of enthusiasm.
Ryoko couldn't help smiling in amusement as laughter rang out throughout the room at Dai's expense, and sitting up on the couch, he wrapped the blanket around himself and quietly sipped his hot chocolate, his sapphire eyes coming to rest on his father, who was standing by the door.
The former musician hadn't commented on Joe's assessment of his injured son, but Ryoko knew it wasn't because the man didn't care. Quite the contrary, in fact. As their eyes met, his father smiled gently at him, and somehow despite his weariness, Ryoko was able to find the strength to return the smile. It wasn't often the former musician seemed anything but calm and cool, but underneath that aloof exterior, Ryoko knew his father was just like him.
We feel everything, even if we're not always able to express our feelings in return.
Having sat up on the sofa, it freed up some room for others to make use of the space, and coming over to sit next to him, his mother put her arm around his shoulders in a warm embrace. It felt good to be loved, and resting his head on her shoulder, he made no objections as Dai came over to occupy the seat on his other side. The goggle-headed leader also had a blanket wrapped securely around his shoulders, and smiling at each other, they were content to sit in peaceful silence. It felt nice to indulge in the air of warmth and companionship that surrounded them, and he could tell that everyone else had also noticed the lack of tension and the friendly ease of their interactions with one another.
Immediately, Ami and Rina came over to sit by his feet on the floor in front of the sofa, and as Ami curled herself between his knee and Dai's legs, he suddenly felt a powerful urge to reach out and stroke her dark hair. Rina was snuggled up to the leg that wasn't curled beneath him, and he could feel his cousin's small arms hugging him just below the knee. For the first time in a long while he truly felt comfortable and content, and leaning back on the couch, he listened in silence as Dai and Matty finally finished their story, with Sam occasionally jumping in to help fill in the details of what had happened with his group during the time they were all separated. The three boys didn't hold back as they told their story, and though normally Ryoko would have been embarrassed about the way they were talking about him and his vulnerabilities, he was surprised to find that it didn't bother him that much. Now that he had finally come to terms with the darkness in his heart, he wasn't afraid to show his true emotions to those who were important to him, even more so now that he knew without a single doubt that he could trust every person currently in the room.
They all care about me. I realize that now, and I don't have to be afraid to tell them how I really feel.
When the story finally came to an end, Ryoko took a moment to gaze at the group around him, and what he saw from their expressions, which showed a variety of emotions, intrigued him. Izzy was still sitting in the armchair with Taniko, while Mina sat perched on the arm next to her daughter, and as the dark-haired girl continued to sneak a quick peek at Matty every now and then, Izzy was content to tap away on his computer, a gleam of excitement in his coffee-coloured eyes. Mina was watching her husband with amusement, but despite the slight shake of her head, there was a fondness in her dark gaze as she reached out to give the computer expert's shoulder a gentle squeeze.
Opposite the Izumi family, Tai, Sora, and T.K. were crammed onto the love seat with Kari perching on the arm of the smaller sofa next to her husband, and though both Sora and T.K. looked thoughtful, Tai's dark eyebrows were narrowed into a frown, as if there was something about the whole event in the Digital World that didn't sit quite right with him. Or maybe, the former leader's expression had nothing to do with the story at all. Perhaps it was for an entirely different reason.
Something to do with his daughter maybe?
Next to the three on the loveseat, Joe and June were sitting on chairs that had been pulled in from the kitchen, and Ema was sitting at their feet with Kenzo and Taysuke. At the moment, June was shaking her head in disbelief, which was the exact opposite reaction of her husband, whom having witnessed the events in the Digital World himself was looking quite calm and serene, both his poise and demeanor suggesting that he was just content to have been given the chance to see to his most concerning patient without any complications. Ema's expression was strikingly similar to that of her mother's, and both Kenzo and Taysuke looked like they were still trying to process all the information that had been shoved into their heads in such a short amount of time.
Across from them, next to the Izumi family, Cody and Rosa were sitting in the final two chairs pulled in from the kitchen, and both were frowning, as if there was still something they didn't understand about what had happened in the Digital World. Noriko sat perched on the edge of the TV stand, and despite the fact that she hadn't been there to witness it herself, the dark-haired female looked outraged over the atrocities that had been committed against her son.
Not that I can blame her.
Davis had moved a lamp out of his way so he could sit on the end table next to where Dai was sitting on the couch, and having been in the Digital World himself, the former leader simply looked a little amused at the reaction of his wife.
Ken and Yolei were sitting on the carpet in front of the television stand, and at the moment they were surrounded by Noah, Makku, Taka, and all three of their children. Though some of the others might have missed it, Ryoko was quick to pick up on the fact that Noah and Miya were holding hands, and as a result he suspected they must have worked out their feelings for each other sometime over the last couple of days.
Sam had his arm around Nao, who was huddled against his older brother's side, and Taka and Makku were sitting close to one another, their more neutral expressions making it harder to guess what they were thinking. It wasn't hard to figure out Nao's wide-eyed look, though, and Sam, having been through the ordeal in person, looked perfectly at ease with the story.
Like me, Sam has accepted what happened, and we're just glad everybody made it home safely.
The most unusual reaction thus far came from Takara, who for some reason was sitting all by herself in the furthest corner of the room, her face covered in shadow. Granted, all of the digimon, minus Iramon, were with her, and Shadow was curled up next to the female Digidestined, his head resting on her knee as she stroked his fur, but despite the fact that she was surrounded by her digital companions, something about her behaviour seemed off. The sun coming in from the big window didn't quite reach her isolated corner, and as a result, it was hard to read the expression in her eyes. Despite that, though, there was something about the aura surrounding her that unnerved him, and he was quick to file that information away for a later time, in case it proved to be significant at some point down the road. Unfortunately, he didn't have much time to dwell on his female friend's strange bahaviour at the moment, but he made a mental note to remind himself to reflect on it a bit more once he was home.
There's just something about her...
Last but not least, Mickey and Matty were sitting on the carpet by the door with Rumi, Ren, and Tamami, and while the three girls looked stunned by the story they had just heard, the twins merely looked as if they were thinking back on what had happened and were reflecting on what they may or may not have missed over the last couple of days. The rest of Sam's cousins weren't present, but Ryoko was sure one of the others would fill the rest in at some point. That left his father, who was still leaning against the door frame behind the twins, his gaze alert and watchful as he stood there with his arms crossed over his chest. Once again, it wasn't easy to read the former musician's expression, but even so Ryoko had a feeling his father was thinking long and hard on something the man had yet to reveal to the rest of them.
I wonder what it could be...
It was a large crowed, and the room was packed, but Ryoko found that he didn't mind the lack of elbow room. It felt good to be surrounded by so many people he cared about.
Though not everybody seems entirely comfortable.
Matty hadn't yet noticed the way Taniko would sneak a look at him every once in a while, but that didn't stop the younger twin from glancing in her direction and blushing before quickly looking away again. It was rather amusing how the two would happen to look at one another just when the other wasn't watching, thus neither of the two had managed to pick up on the way they were both doing the exact same thing. Ryoko could tell that Mickey had noticed, too, but the older twin was kind enough not to mention it. Though Taniko was quiet, Ryoko had a feeling the girl was hoping for a chance to speak to Matty, but whether or not that conversation would eventually take place, he couldn't say. He had seen the look on Taniko's face when Matty had first entered the room, and he was pretty sure their weren't really any words he could use to describe the dark-haired girl's expression when her eyes had registered the younger twin's presence. Obviously she must have been terrified the moment she found out that Matty had gone missing, and to see him safe and sound must have been a huge relief to her.
Not that Matty had noticed, being occasionally clueless like Dai when it came to the female species. In that regard Ryoko was the opposite. He had picked up on Ami's feelings right away, and her behaviour towards him today was definitely positive in that regard.
I'm glad Dai doesn't seem to mind the way Ami's been acting towards me lately. If he did, things could definitely get awkward, and I'm done with that kind of behaviour between us. I just want us to be friends. I want to get along with him now, and I want to make some good memories between the two of us.
And that is exactly what he intended to do.
"Well, that was certainly quite the story," Izzy said finally, his sudden words breaking the silence. "Thanks to your efforts, though, we now have three of the six Spirit Chips, and with Jestermon no longer an adversary to contend with, that makes things a little easier for us. In theory, anyways."
"What do you mean by that?" Cody asked, immediately sensing the computer expert's hesitation.
Izzy stared at his laptop screen for a moment, and looking thoughtful, the computer expert said, "Just because we've been able to defeat some of the servants who work for the Ruler of Darkness, that doesn't mean our job is becoming necessarily easier. Remember, DarkAngelicmon's master has many servants at his disposal, and as far as he's concerned, every one of those servants can easily be replaced if necessary. That being said, I think it would be wise for us to stay on our guard. And don't be surprised if we find ourselves facing new enemies in the future. Moving forward, I would say that's a very realistic possibility at this point."
"What about Vampiramon?" Sora asked, glancing uncertainly at her husband before turning to Izzy. "Do you think she would have survived falling into the chasm?"
Izzy shrugged, and putting an arm around his daughter, who was curled up comfortably by his side, he said, "Vampiramon's not only a mega, she's a virus digimon with a lot of speed and a surprising amount of firepower. Personally, I think it would take a lot more than falling into a pit of darkness to turn her into data, but I suppose stranger things have happened. I won't be surprised, though, if she did survive the fall. At this point, it would be best to assume that she's still out there somewhere. As I said before, we should remain on our guard. We don't want to get too comfortable, especially not with how far we've managed to come since Dai and the others first entered the Digital World."
"So we have three Spirit Chips, and we can also confirm that at least two of the mega digimon who keep coming after us have turned into data," Rosa said slowly, leaning into Cody shoulder. "I would say that's progress. Plus, both Ryoko and Matty were able to sort out some of their troubles over the last couple days, and everybody got back safe and sound. I would call our mission a success."
Ryoko nodded in agreement, and glancing at Dai, he said with a faint smile, "Even if it is embarrassing to have everybody talk about my feelings and all the stupid things I did."
"You'll get over it," Dai replied, reaching out to give his shoulder a friendly squeeze. "To be fair, I did some pretty stupid things myself, and you don't see me trying to hide it."
Ryoko couldn't help laughing, and shaking his head, he said pleasantly, "That's because not much fazes you in general."
"You did," Dai countered, returning the smile.
Ryoko acknowledged the comment with a friendly elbow to the ribs, and feeling content with the comfortable atmosphere between them, he once again leaned back into his mother's arm to rest his head against her shoulder.
Despite their newfound friendship, Ryoko knew there would still be times when the two of them would fight and argue, but he was okay with that. At the end of the day, they were still going to be there to support each other, and that was the most important thing of all.
"I'm just glad to see you two getting along," Noriko sighed, a look of obvious relief on her face. "I can tell you that's a load off my mind."
"One less thing to worry about, right Mom?" Ami laughed, winking at her mother.
"Stop making jokes at my expense," Dai grumbled, nudging his sister in the back with his knee.
"It's great we got the Spirit Chip and all that, but the part that catches my interest the most is the whole thing with Lucemon," June interrupted, looking impatient. "It's the one thing you guys haven't fully explained yet. Come on, the rest of us want to hear the details!"
"That's because we still don't know ourselves," Tai explained, waving his hand towards his two young nephews. "You'll have to ask Matty if you want an answer to that question."
"I did say I would explain once we were all together," Matty said slowly, glancing at his twin before continuing. "I wanted to wait until the end, though, cause I think the conversation I had with Lucemon might be pretty significant."
"Go ahead then, Matty. We're all curious," T.K. replied, smiling warmly at his son, who was still sitting on the floor across the room from him.
"Well...the reason I ended up finding out so much about the Ice Caverns and how that place works to begin with is because I got all of that information from Lucemon," Matty said slowly, frowning in concentration as he attempted to accurately recall the incident. "When those doppelgangers that were pretending to be all of you guys had me surrounded, Lucemon just sort of came out of nowhere to lend me his help, and it caught me completely by surprise. I knew who he was right away, though. I mean, how could I not? He looks like a guy version of Luciamon. It was pretty obvious."
"And he was the one who used his light to destroy all the doppelgangers?" Noah asked, giving Miya's hand a quick squeeze.
Matty nodded in agreement, and looking thoughtful, the younger twin said, "He also somehow used his power on Celestimon, and whatever that light did to my partner, it helped him regain consciousness after he was attacked by the darkness. MarineAngemon was with Lucemon at the time, and I gotta say, the four of us had a pretty interesting conversation."
"We sure did!" Goldmon piped up from his seat next to Shadow.
Izzy immediately perked up at this, and fingers hovering over the keyboard, he said, "I take it Lucemon must have revealed some of his past to you?"
"A bit, yeah," Matty agreed, though he looked a little uncertain. "He admitted to me that several years ago he used to live in a beautiful city that was a home for many angel digimon. According to him, there was in fact a war that took place there, and the city ended up in ruins."
"Which confirms the story we heard from Tal and his team about the fallen city where they first met DarkAngelicmon," Ken said slowly, glancing at Izzy for confirmation. "Things are falling into place now, it seems."
"That appears to be the case," Izzy agreed, nodding to Ken before focusing his attention on Matty again. "If I had to guess, I would say that Lucemon told you a bit about what his life was like there?"
"Something like that," Matty replied, frowning at his hands. "Apparently, before the city was destroyed, Lucemon worked as a...well, as a scientist of sorts, I guess you could say. He told me he was a researcher, and I assume he must have worked for whoever was in charge of the city, though he didn't really say one way or the other. That was just the impression I got. From what I understood, his work had something to do with uncovering the history and the secrets of the Digital World, but he wasn't the only one who was given the job. He actually worked as part of a team of researchers, and their main goal was to learn about the origin of their world and to unravel the mystery of their creation."
"Luciamon and DarkAngelicmon," Makku guessed, crossing his arms over his chest. "I think it's pretty safe to assume they were the other two members of the research team."
"That's right," Matty agreed, his amber eyes suddenly lighting up as he allowed himself to get more involved with his story. "At the time, they were also researching the prophecies of the Digital World, in particular the ones that related to humans and the human world."
"Makes sense," Ken murmured, looking quite interested all of a sudden. "Lucemon's research team would have been conducting their studies before Tal's team first entered the Digital World, and we know that for a fact because the city had already been destroyed before they arrived on File Island. It's also common knowledge that Tal and his friends were the first humans to ever come to the Digital World, even if their names were unknown to us until recently."
"I guess they were determined to prove the existence of humans, and they wanted to know all they could about the world that had supposedly created their own," Matty continued. "But...those weren't the only prophecies they studied. I guess they were also involved in researching the prophecies about what he called the ancient powers of light and darkness."
"Sounds intriguing," Rumi murmured, exchanging a look with Mickey, who was sitting beside her.
"From what Lucemon told me, him and his two friends all had their own field of expertise," Matty said slowly, his amber eyes growing a shade darker at the memory. "Lucemon's particular area of knowledge was the Powers of Darkness."
Mickey winced at that, and looking sympathetic, the older twin murmured, "I assume that's how he was able to make an educated guess on how the Ice Caverns work. After all those years of study, he must have a wealth of knowledge on the Powers of Darkness."
"Something like that," Matty agreed, giving his twin a searching look before continuing. "As for his team, Luciamon's area of expertise was the Powers of Light."
"I can definitely see that," Kari said, smiling at her son. "She was quite the character, no question about that, but her heart was in the right place."
Matty smiled at that, but then he frowned and said, "Despite his explanation, though, there was still something about his story that didn't sit right with me, and because of that I challenged him on it, since I wasn't satisfied with the little he had revealed to me."
"What do you mean?" Tamami asked, looking curious.
"It's nothing about Luciamon. I mean about something else. When I told Lucemon it was GranDracmon who attacked his home city, he was genuinely shocked by the news. It was plainly obvious to me that he had no idea who was responsible for attacking his home, and after questioning him on it, he even admitted as much. But even though he didn't know who specifically had attacked the city, he did know about Tal's team and their fight against GranDracmon."
"Interesting," Izzy muttered to himself, tapping away on his keyboard. "I have to wonder, though. If that's the case, how did he find out about the first Digidestined team? According to Tal's story, they never once met up with a digimon named Lucemon during their travels, and though DarkAngelicmon had made a reference to Lucemon upon meeting Tal's team, he didn't mention his friend by name. Granted, DarkAngelicmon must have told Luciamon and Lucemon about meeting Tal's team upon reuniting with them after leaving the city, but he couldn't possibly have told the other two about GranDracmon fighting against Tal's team. That incident didn't occur until much later, long after their first and only meeting with DarkAngelicmon."
"I wondered about that, too," Matty said, smiling faintly. "And lucky for you guys, I do have an answer to that question. You know that ancient fortress where we first met Embermon? At the time, I was pretty interested in the strange writings that were carved into the stone walls, and later I recognized that same writing on the bases of the three pedestals where the Spirit Chips we've found were located. Lucemon told me that the writings on the walls of the old fortress were carved into the stone using the ancient computer language of the Digital World. Those passages are a written history of the Digital World's past. They also include the tale of the Digidestined in its entirety, right from the moment Tal's team came to the Digital World up until twenty-five years ago. And in case you haven't figured it out yet, Lucemon is fluent in the old computer language, and that was where he first heard about Tal's team defeating GranDracmon."
"So that's how he knew about GranDracmon despite not being directly involved with what was happening in the Digital World at the time," Izzy said, nodding to show he understood. "That's pretty impressive actually. Though the 'old' language of computers is what you would probably call the official first language of the Digital World, most digimon don't actually know how to read it. The fact that Lucemon can understand it means he must have been very involved in his work."
"But if that's the case and the information was available for everyone to see on the walls of the fortress then how come DarkAngelicmon doesn't seem to know much about GranDracmon?" Taka asked, looking confused. "I mean, by the looks of things, I get the fact that the Powers of Darkness are sort of messing with his memory, but surely he can read? If Lucemon could figure out that much from the writings on the walls, how come he couldn't?"
Matty raised his eyebrows at that, and looking amused, the younger twin said, "Think about what Izzy just said a moment ago. Most digimon in the Digital World don't know how to read the ancient computer language. Because of that, there's a simple explanation as to why DarkAngelicmon wouldn't have learned about the Digidestined fighting GranDracmon from the walls of the fortress. Like most digimon, he can't read the old language of the Digital World. Mind you, Lucemon made several attempts to teach him, but he wasn't all that interested in learning it. When it came to prophecies or any other writings of note, he pretty much relied on Lucemon to translate the text for him."
"That's...like really lazy," Ren laughed, making a face.
"Can you blame him? Who would want to translate all those words and stuff?" Dai said, wrinkling his nose. "Sounds boring to me."
Ryoko gently nudged the goggle-headed leader in the ribs, and letting out a deep sigh, he said, "I always had an impression that DarkAngelicmon was more of a hands on type of digimon while Lucemon seems to have a love for books and knowledge. If that's true, then I'm not surprised at all that DarkAngelicmon prefers to be out on the field where the action is while Lucemon loves to pour over books. They kind of remind me of Mickey and Matty that way actually."
Both twins jumped in surprise at that, and glancing at each other, Matty smiled and said, "You're definitely Lucemon."
"And you're DarkAngelicmon," Mickey said softly, smiling fondly at his twin.
Matty didn't seem too concerned about being compared to a dark digimon, and smiling in return, he said, "Maybe just a little bit."
"But surely Lucemon would have told DarkAngelicmon about what was written on the walls of the fortress," Mina interrupted, still looking a bit confused.
"That's where Taka's point comes in," Matty explained. "Chances are Lucemon did tell him, but with the way the darkness seems to be affecting his memory, he's probably forgotten."
"Makes sense," Tai agreed, leaning back to put his arm around Sora's shoulders. "Although...there's still one thing that's bugging me. Who exactly wrote all of that history on the walls of the fortress to begin with?"
Nobody spoke for moment, and then Takara timidly raised her hand, her expression hesitant.
"Go on," Izzy encouraged, continuing to type furiously on his laptop.
"I think that's easy enough to figure out," Takara said slowly, glancing uncertainly at her father before once again wrapping her arms tightly around her knees. "Who knows more about prophecy in the Digital World than anybody else?"
"That lady digimon!" Rina said happily, bouncing on the carpet in excitement. "I don't remember her name, though."
Takara smiled gently at the younger girl, and nodding her head, she said quietly, "That's right. It's Seermon. She seems to know more about prophecy than any other digimon, which makes sense considering they call her the Keeper of the Prophecies. But according to Tal and the others, she doesn't often leave her home in the forest, though she does have a companion who travels in her name."
"Sorcermon," Izzy said immediately, his eyes lighting up with understanding. "Yes, that would make sense. Chances are he would have been the one to painstakingly carve our history into the walls, and I have no doubt once all this is over, the history of Daichi's team will also be recorded on those walls."
"Talk about frustrating, though," Sam laughed, shaking his head in amusement. "All that time the information we needed was right there on the walls in front of us, but because we couldn't understand the language it went completely right over our heads!"
Ryoko couldn't agree more. Like all of his friends, he was fluent in both Japanese and English, having been taught both since he was a baby, but never did he ever think he would need to learn an ancient language involving computer code.
It would be interesting to learn though...
"I have a fairly good grasp of the computer language now myself," Izzy informed them, without taking his eyes off of his laptop. "But I would still very much like to speak with Lucemon myself to learn even more about it."
"Lucemon also visibly reacted to the name Daemon, but he never told me why," Matty said slowly, growing serious again. "Never said a word about him, in fact. Makes me wonder...It's almost like he was purposely trying to avoid the subject."
"That's also very interesting," Ken murmured, looking to his wife. "If he was really trying to steer the conversation away from Daemon, then that suggests Lucemon must have had some sort of history with Daemon."
"Well, I wouldn't say he was trying to change the subject exactly. It was more like I had this feeling he was hoping I wouldn't bring it up," Matty explained, frowning as he tried to remember the exact conversation.
"But how could Lucemon have possibly known Daemon?" Yolei demanded, her tone sounding a bit frustrated. "We know for a fact he had nothing to do with GranDracmon and his servants during the time when Tal's team were in the Digital World. Plus, at the time when Daemon was battling us, there was no indication at all in any way that Lucemon was involved in that whole fiasco either. There's just no way the two could have met at any point. At least not that I can see."
"That's a good point, Yolei," Izzy acknowledged, his dark eyebrows narrowing into a frown. "On the surface, it doesn't seem possible, but that doesn't mean it's entirely impossible for such a thing to have happened either. While it's true we're starting to fit the pieces of the puzzle together, I still feel like there's something we're missing. A clue that would shed some light on the whole story. The piece that would finish the entire puzzle, so to speak."
"Well, setting that aside for the moment, there's something else I want to know," Yolei replied, turning her gaze on Matty. "You said DarkAngelicmon has other interests that aren't related to computer code. What did you mean by that?"
"Well, I told you guys earlier that Lucemon studied the Powers of Darkness and Luciamon studied the Powers of Light, but I didn't have a chance to tell you about DarkAngelicmon's field of study," Matty informed them, his expression suddenly softening into a warm smile. "Personally, I think his research actually explains a lot about his behaviour."
"How so?" Rumi asked curiously, her eyes lighting up with obvious interest.
"DarkAngelicmon's area of expertise was the study of humans. Unlike the other two, whose studies revolved around the Digital World, he spent most of his time researching the prophecies about Earth and humans. According to Lucemon, even back then DarkAngelicmon was completely enthralled by the possibility that humans might actually exist, and he was intrigued by all the potential humans had to not only restore the Digital World to its former glory, but also to improves the lives of the digimon who were suffering from the effects of the darkness that had ended the Age of Light."
"Those were some high expectations he had for us," Sam commented, looking rather flattered by such a wonderful compliment. "That's a lot of praise to live up to, though we've certainly done our best to try."
"It's funny," Matty murmured, almost to himself. "DarkAngelicmon was our greatest advocate in his home city before the place was destroyed, and from what Lucemon told me, he would always defend us if anyone ever objected to the idea of humans being in the Digital World. He refused to believe we were a myth. Whatever his reasons were, he truly believed we existed, and after meeting Tal and the others and discovering that all of his work hadn't been in vain, well...I'm sure you can imagine how happy he would have been. All that time, he had been right about humans, and after saving Kenji, there was just no way he could keep quiet about his newfound discovery. After leaving Tal and the others, he went to join up with Lucemon and Luciamon, and from what Lucemon told me, DarkAngelicmon was positively radiant over his first encounter with humans. Naturally he told them all about it, and it was like he couldn't believe his dream of meeting humans had finally come true. According to Lucemon, DarkAngelicmon has always loved humans. He's always been fond of the human race, and he has a lot of respect for us and our world, but that's not what's most important. What really matters is the fact that Lucemon believes DarkAngelicmon's views on humans haven't changed. Despite the darkness in his heart, he still cares about humans, which means...somewhere in that dark soul of his, he still cares about us."
Mickey's face was a mask of emotions by this point, and speaking softly, the older twin said, "So, it's really true then. There are no doubts whatsoever about it now. Lucemon's story confirms what Kenji's partner told us, and it matches perfectly with Tal's story about the fallen city. DarkAngelicmon really was the helpful angel digimon they met who saved Kenji's life."
There was a moment of reflective silence, and then Mina said, "There's still one thing I don't understand. If Tal's story is recorded on the walls of the fortress, then how did Lucmeon not know it was GranDracmon who attacked his home?"
"Well, first of all, you have to remember GranDracmon attacked the celestial city long before Tal's team came to the Digital World," Matty explained, leaning back on his hands. "While the city is mentioned in the writings, thanks to what happened to Kenji there, the name of who was responsible for destroying it was never recorded on the wall of the fortress. And while Lucemon was a resident of the city and was actually present at the time of the attack, he only came face to face with the dark digimon GranDracmon had recruited for his army, not GranDracmon himself. Plus, he was too busy trying to help all the other innocent digimon escape from the city to waste any time trying to figure out who was behind the attack, thus he never met the guilty culprit who started the whole thing in the first place. Remember, we don't even know if GranDracmon was present at the time the city was turned into ruins. At this point, we have no way of knowing if he showed up personally to attack the city or if he just sent the army to do his dirty work for him. Lucemon didn't say either way, but I assume regardless of whether GranDracmon was there or not, Lucemon, Luciamon, and DarkAngelicmon were probably the forerunners in helping a lot of the other digimon escape from the city before escaping themselves. Seems like something they would do. Because of that, they wouldn't have had much time to worry about who was behind the destruction of their home."
"That's true," Mickey agreed, his expression full of sorrow. "And I believe you're right about them helping the other digimon escape. All three of them seem like the type to put others before themselves."
"There was one other thing that struck me as odd," Matty said quietly, his golden eyebrows narrowing into a deep frown. "Lucemon was definitely shocked when I told him GranDracmon was the one that was responsible for destroying his home, and yet at the same time he didn't seem all that surprised by the news. It was almost like he felt he should have known, and now that he did know, he had resigned himself to the inevitable. He also hinted that the city being attacked by GranDracmon was somehow his fault, like he was to blame for it, but I don't see how that's possible at all. How could he be responsible for something like that?"
"Something must have happened to make him think he's somehow at fault," Sora said slowly, as if thinking carefully on the matter. "From what you've told us, he was definitely suggesting that was somehow the case."
"He also wouldn't tell me exactly why he hid from us for so long, but he said something about how being caught up in what was going on was such a personal and powerful thing for him that he couldn't stop himself from taking the safe route."
"Which is choosing to hide rather than facing your fears head on," T.K. murmured, shaking his head in despair.
"Exactly," Matty sighed, exchanging a meaningful look with his father. "After our talk about the past and stuff, Lucemon took me to see the portal to the World of Darkness in the Ice Caverns, and that was when I learned a lot from him about the gates and the Powers of Darkness. He told me there are two types of gates. There are fixed gates that always stay open, most of which have existed for centuries, like the one in the Ice Caverns and the one in GranDracmon's old castle, and then there are gates like the one that opened when we were trying to get Sam's Spirit Chip."
"Faze Warps," Izzy replied, nodding to show he understood. "When we allow our hearts to succumb to the Powers of Darkness, it starts to bend the barriers between the human world and the Digital World. When that happens, the barrier will eventually shatter if the Powers of Darkness in either world begin to grow stronger than the Powers of Light. It's like tipping a giant scale. By allowing the scale to drop too far down on either side, it'll cause enough of a stir in weight to upset the harmonious balance between the two forces. It is the strength of our hearts that determines which way the scale will tip. In most cases we don't have to worry about the side that holds the Powers of Light becoming too strong because there's always plenty of darkness floating around in both worlds to keep the scales even. But the darkness...Of the two forces it's the one that's a lot easier to throw out of whack."
"Because too often we allow ourselves to despair and lose hope," T.K. said quietly, a shadow falling across his face.
"That's exactly it," Izzy agreed. "And that can affect the barriers for other worlds as well, like the World of Dreams or the World of Darkness to name a couple of examples. It doesn't just apply to the human world and the Digital World. Allowing the darkness to touch your heart weakens the barriers for all worlds, and once that happens, random gates to other worlds will start to pop up in whatever world you're currently in. Those types of gates are called Faze Warps. They're portals between the worlds that don't have a fixed location, and more often than not they lead to the World of Darkness because when your heart is weak, it becomes the world your heart is most connected to. That's where you usually end up because the World of Darkness feeds off of fear and despair. It feels the call of the darkness in your heart, and it answers the call by allowing you to gain access to the gates that will allow you to enter without any resistance."
"Yeah, that's pretty much how Lucemon described it," Matty added. "I didn't know they were called Faze Warps, though. Also, Lucemon said something else to me that I didn't quite understand. Unless our hearts are consumed by the Powers of Darkness, we usually have trouble moving between the human or Digital Worlds and the World of Darkness, but he doesn't seem to have the same kind of limitations that we have. Haven't you all noticed that he can somehow move between the Digital World and the World of Darkness pretty much whenever he wants, and his heart doesn't need to be corrupted by darkness to pass through the barrier? The only time one of us can get to the World of Darkness with a heart not covered in shadows is if we pass through the Faze Warps with whoever was responsible for opening the gate in the first place, and that person's heart needs to be covered in darkness for a Faze Warp to even be possible at all. If we want to go to the World of Darkness without a troubled companion and our hearts still intact, we need to pass through a fixed gate. Lucemon, though...He can do it through both fixed gates and Faze Warps. It's almost like...I dunno. Like he can create his own Faze Warps without the darkness affecting his heart."
"That's an interesting theory," Izzy commented, pausing to gaze thoughtfully out the window. "I've never heard of such a thing happening before, but that's not to say it wouldn't be possible. The laws of the Digital World don't reflect the same laws of physics we have in the human world. In the Digital World, almost anything is possible, which is why it makes for such an intriguing field of study."
"Well, after talking about it, the response he gave me was kind of cryptic," Matty said hesitantly, as if not sure he should even mention it. "After commenting on how he doesn't have much trouble moving between the Digital World and the World of Darkness like the rest of us, he hinted there was a reason for it."
Ryoko, who had been listening quietly with his eyes closed the whole time Matty was talking, perked up at this, and opening his eyes, he said, "A reason? What kind of reason?"
"He said something about how it's easy to get caught up in your research, and when that happens it can cause unforeseen circumstances that have the ability to change the course of your destiny. Something like that anyways. He also said he's learned a few things about finding his way around the darkness since then, whatever that's supposed to mean. According to him, if he hadn't, it would have changed his whole future."
"Strange," Kari said slowly, shaking her head. "I wonder if what he says has something to do with his past, and if it does, does it have something to do with Daemon?"
"It's still too early to tell," Izzy replied, leaning back in the armchair. "We simply don't have enough information at this point to come up with a solid theory. It's disappointing, but at the same time, I have a feeling we'll be seeing Lucemon a lot more frequently now that Matty has managed to bring him out of his shell. Once we do see him again, hopefully we'll be able to get more information out of him, and from there we can start to piece together a plausible theory."
Matty nodded, and turning to Mickey, the younger twin said, "I think he really wants to meet you, Mickey. That was the impression I was getting."
Mickey blushed at that, and looking vulnerable, the older twin said, "I hope so. I really want to meet him, too."
"Is there anything else we need to know right now?" Cody asked, looking expectant.
"That's about it from my end," Matty said, shrugging his shoulders. "Unless anyone else has something to add?"
"I think we pretty much covered everything," Dai replied, stretching as he let out a huge yawn. "I'm beat. How about the rest of you?"
Izzy's laptop suddenly let off a series of noises, and quickly setting the portable device down on the coffee table, they were all greeted with an image of Gennai's smiling face. In the background, they could see the interior of his house on Server, and he looked quite please with himself.
"Hey, Gennai! What's up?" Tai asked, giving the robed figure a quick wave. "Looking good there, buddy."
"Why thank you, you're much too kind," Gennai replied, looking amused. "I just got word from Ogremon that you all arrived safely back in the human world. That's excellent news. I also hear you managed to recover the Spirit Chip of Loyalty."
Ryoko immediately sat up straight, and turning the laptop towards him, he glared at the robed figure and said, "You knew all that time exactly how the Ice Caverns worked, didn't you! More so even than what Ogremon knew!"
"Yes, indeed I did," Gennai agreed, his tone pleasant. "But does it matter if that's the case, or not? If I had told you the truth at the beginning, would it have made any difference in the outcome?"
Ryoko was about to respond with a rude retort, but he restrained himself when he realized what the robed figure was trying to say. There was no denying the truth. At the time, his heart had fallen so far into darkness that even if Gennai had been straight with him from the beginning, he wouldn't have listened. The result would have been the same regardless. By that time, only Dai and Matty had held the power to save his heart, and for that he would always be in their debt.
That didn't mean he had to put up with Gennai's teasing, though.
Jerk.
Thoroughly embarrassed, Ryoko shoved the laptop away again, and crossing his arms over his chest he proceeded to make a point of ignoring the goggle-headed leader, who was grinning at him with an obvious air of amusement.
I swear, it's always me.
Having soundly won that round, Gennai beamed with success, and turning his attention to the full group, he said, "Congratulations on receiving the Spirit Chip. I've just finished my work on the DNA digivolution process, so for those of you who can utilize it, you should be able to DNA digivolve again. That was the actual purpose of my visit. And if I may, I would kindly like to remind Ken to come and visit me in the Digital World the next time Daichi and his team arrive so I can complete the process to allow Veemon and Wormmon to digivolve to the mega level again."
"Of course," Ken replied, turning to smile at his DNA partner.
"I also wanted to inform you all that I do have a team already working on finding the next Spirit Chip," Gennai added. "I will contact you again once we've discovered its location. Now, if you would be so kind as to inform me of what happeed during your travels over the last couple of days? It would be much appreciated."
"I've got it all written down here," Izzy informed the robed figure, picking up the laptop again. "I'll send it to you and we can discuss it once I get home. I don't want to take up too much of your time, after all."
"Same to you," Gennai replied, his voice drifting out into the room. "Send me the info, and I shall contact you again later tonight at your convenience."
"'Sounds good," Izzy agreed, hitting a couple of buttons before sending the information off.
Once the task was completed, Izzy turned the computer back around so they could see the screen again, and addressing the whole group, Gennai smiled and said gently, "You have all done exceptionally well today, and you should be proud of your accomplishments. I look forward to seeing each and every one of you again."
"Same to you, Gennai," T.K. said, smiling in return. "Have fun talking with Izzy tonight. I'm sure you two will have a lot to discuss."
"I don't doubt that. In the meantime, I shall contact Benji to see how the investigation is going. Until we meet again then."
Once Gennai had signed off, Tamami turned eagerly to Noah and Miya, and studying the two teenagers with raised eyebrows, she said, "Okay, now that all the Digital World business is out of the way, I can't resist asking anymore. I just have to know. Did something happen between you guys?"
"Did you two finally admit your feelings to each other?" Takara asked hopefully, having also picked up on the way the young couple were holding hands.
Miya blushed when she realized her and Noah had suddenly become the centre of attention, and nodding almost shyly, she said softly, "Noah asked me out, and I accepted. I already told Ami, Nao, and my parents, but with all the craziness going on, I didn't have a chance to get to everyone else yet."
"That's really great!" Taniko said happily, beaming at the raven-haired girl. "I'm so happy for you guys!"
"You can thank Makku for that," Noah replied, smiling at his best friend despite the embarrassment that was written all over his face.
Makku shrugged, and leaning back on his hands, the red-head said, "Not really. I just gave you a shove in the right direction."
"Seriously, that is like the most awesome thing ever!" Tamami squealed, winking at the red-haired boy. "Now we just need to find someone for you. I'm thinking he should be blond. You would look cute dating a blond."
Oh? Hmm...
Being the observant type, Ryoko immediately picked up on the hint in Tamami's words, and once again lifting his head from his mother's shoulder, he proceeded to gaze at Makku with mild interest.
For his part, the red-haired boy didn't look at all fazed by Tamami's words, and elbowing her sister in the ribs, Rumi said, "Don't tease him, Tams. Makku's a sweetheart. He's more than capable of finding somebody without your interference."
"Why thank you, dear cousin," Makku said, winking at the blond girl. "How kind of you to say so."
Sitting up, as well, Dai looked incredibly confused, and scratching his dark-hair, the goggle-headed leader said, "Huh? What's this about meeting someone?"
Ryoko rolled his eyes, and turning to the goggle-headed leader, he said dryly, "A boy. They're talking about having Makku meet a boy."
"A boy?" Dai asked, looking genuinely baffled. "What about it?"
The fact that Dai could be so dense was rather endearing, and shaking his head in amusement, Ryoko said bluntly, "He's gay. Makku, that is."
Ryoko could feel everybody's eyes on him, especially those belonging to the red-haired teen in question, whose calm gaze was focused intently on his face, and as the light finally came on in Dai's somewhat exasperating head, the goggle-headed leader shrugged his shoulders and said, "Oh, right. I get it now. So, what's for dinner by the way? I'm starving."
Ryoko stared at his friend, and realizing Dai had completely lost interest in the topic of romance, he couldn't help feeling a sudden rush of affection for the goggle-headed leader.
Of course he wouldn't care.
The response was just so like Dai that Ryoko couldn't help but smile. The fact that the goggle-headed leader had just found out Makku was gay was so insignificant, the topic of dinner was more important to him, which showed the strength of the other boy's character. The amount of respect Dai had for others was simply astounding, and Ryoko couldn't help feeling truly blessed to have found such an honest and caring friend.
No wonder he couldn't give on me.
Makku's face had immediately softened at Dai's reaction, and turning to look at the red-haired teen, Matty said curiously, "We didn't know that. Sam never mentioned it."
"Never thought it was worth mentioning," Sam interrupted before Makku could reply, the raven-haired Digidestined's expression indicating that he considered it a nonissue.
Taka, who had been sitting rigid next to Makku throughout the whole exchange, as if determined to defend his brother should the situation require it, visibly relaxed at the favourable responses towards his brother, and realizing that everybody was looking at him now, Makku adjusted his glasses and said calmly, "It's not like I was trying to keep it a secret or anything like that. My whole family already knew a long time ago, which is evident from what Tams said a moment ago and her obvious attempts to tease me. Since I'm not dating anybody right now, I just figured there wasn't much to say on the subject."
"Not yet, but that might change," Noah said, giving his friend a rather mysterious smile.
Makku elbowed the other boy in the stomach, and having sensed Taka's earlier distress, he put a reassuring arm around the younger boy's shoulders to keep him calm.
Taka was quick to lean affectionately into Makku's side, and keeping a protective hold on his older brother's relaxed torso, the younger boy said quietly, "I take it nobody has any objections then?"
"Objections?" Mickey asked, looking genuinely shocked by such a statement. "Why would we have any objections?"
"That's like the last thing I would have objections about," Matty snorted, rollling his eyes.
Ryoko felt Makku's gaze fall on him, and as they stared at each other in silence, he said simply, "If you're happy, I'm happy."
"You have a beautiful soul, Makku," Takara said softly, the sincerity in her words plainly obvious from the tone of her voice. "And a strong heart. I wish I had even half your strength."
Makku studied the female Digidestined for a long moment, and shrugging his shoulders, he said simply, "I think you do."
Takara looked a bit surprised by the honest reply, and just for a moment the shadow seemed to lift from within her troubled gaze. A soft smile appeared on her face, and ducking her head, she proceeded to stroke Shadow's dark fur in silence.
Beside him, Ryoko could sense that Dai was watching the female Digidestined, a frown on the goggle-headed leader's face, and letting out a soft sigh, he proceeded to gaze at Takara as well.
There was obviously something wrong with the female Digidestined, but unfortunately he had no idea what could have possibly triggered her to behave in such a manner. Takara was always so strong and level-headed. It was a bit unnerving to see her acting like an entirely different person.
And it was clear he and Dai weren't the only ones to have noticed.
Near the door, Ryoko could also see his father silently watching Takara, and while the former musician's expression was unreadable, there was something in the man's sapphire eyes that made Ryoko think his father was attempting to work something out inside his head.
But what could it be exactly? Does he know something about Takara's behaviour that we don't know?
"Well, now that everyone is back safe and sound, we might as well order pizza," Noriko sighed, smiling slightly. "We have a lot of mouths to feed, and I don't want anybody to go home hungry."
Dai let out a cheer at this sudden announcement, which was followed by a chorus of laughter, and tugging his blanket more closely around him, Ryoko continued to gaze at Takara, who didn't seem to notice. Despite all the noise going on around her, the female Digidestined didn't seem to be paying the slightest bit of attention to her surroundings. Instead, she was staring out the big window, her mind lost in some other world, and Ryoko had a feeling wherever her thoughts were, it wasn't exactly a pleasant place to be.
One way or another, I have to find out what's going on with her. I owe Dai at least that much for saving me from the darkness. The two of them are perfect for each other, even if they might not fully realize it yet. I have to do something. I have to help Kara so she doesn't end up going the same route I did...